John f



V (ModeL) J. P. WHITBSCARVER.

ANIMAL POKE. No. 301,781.

Patented July 8, 1884'.

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llnr'r'n STATES PATENT Orrrcia.

JOHN F. NVHITESGABVER, OF MALDEN, MISSOURI.

ANIMAL-POKE.

{SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 301,781, dated July 8, 1884.

' Application filed Septcmber4,1883. (ModeLl To ctZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, J OHN F. WHIrEsoARv- ER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Malden, in the county of Dunklin and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Animal-Pokes; and I do declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the invention,.such as'will enable others skilled'in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, refer ence being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in animal-pokes; and it consists, essentially, in the construction of the device,as will be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 shows my improved 'poke applied to a horse, and Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the device removed.

The stale a, is provided at its outer end with v a ring or loop, a, and is supported by ayoke,

' vide the spaces 1) b, which a". This yoke is bent midway of its ends, at the point where the stale is joined, so as to fit around the animalsnose, and its ends are bent down at an angle, as shown. It is provided just above the stale with an opening, of.

Openings a a are respectively formed at the angle or bend and at the extreme lower rear ends of the said yoke. A frame-work fender or guard, I), depends from the said yoke, and extends from the bent portion of the same around the front or nose part to the other bent portion, and is made of a length to project in front of the animals mouth and prevent the animal (in case of a cow) from sucking, as well as preventing the tongue from being stuck out, as will be readily understood. I prefer to makethis fender of a metallic rod bent, as shown, as thereby I proserve as openings for the nosestrap hereinafter described. When the strap 0 is unbuckled at c and the strapc is unbuckled from the yoke at a, the poke may be put on the animal, and by buckling strap 0 at 0 and the strap 0 to the yoke it will be firmly secured, as will be seen from Fig. 1. This operation is reversed to remove the poke, as will be readily understood. The jaw-strap 0 passes under the animals jaws,

By providing separate openings in the yoke for. straps c and the jaw-strap, the clumsy lapping of the straps one over the other is avoided, as well as the galling of the sides of the animals head consequent on the lapping of the straps, and by bending the ends of the yoke down and securing the straps in the arrangement shown the device is held better in place than were the arms of the yoke made straight. Bypassing the nose-strap entirely around the yoke-arm, where it is held by the frame-work fender, the galling of the animal by the lower edge of the yoke is obviated, as well as the formation of additional strap-openings in the yoke. The ring a at the outer end of the stale proper provides means for the fastening of a rope with which to lead the animal, and the turning of the end whereby this ring is formed prevents the poke from sticking in the ground as it is moved along the same.

The uses and advantages of animal-pokes are too well known to require description.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s

1. The animal-poke herein described and shown, composed of the yoke having its ends bent down nearly at a right angle, as shown, and provided at the point of bending and at or near said ends with strap-openings a a", the stale projected forward from the middle portion of the yoke, the fender b,depending from the lower edge of the yoke, and extended below the forward or middle portion and sides thereof, and bent as described, forming the strap openings b, and suitable retainingstraps, substantially as described, and for the purposes specified.

2. The combination, in an animal-poke, of the yoke provided near its rear end with strap-openings a a and at its middle or forward portion with strap-hole a and having the framework fender 1) depending therefrom the yoke and its other end carried up and se- 10 and below its forward and side portions, the cured to straps c 0, substantially as and for side straps, 0', adapted to be extended over the purposes set forth. the animals head, and secured at its ends in In testimony whereof I affiX my signature in 5 openings a, the straps c connecting ends of presence of two witnesses.

' the yoke and adapted to be passed under the JOHN F. \VHITESOARVER.

animals jaw, the strap 0, to be passed over \Vitnesses: the animals nose, and the strap 0, having one G. R. ANDERSON, end secured to the middle forward portion of F. B. HILL. 

